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REPORT 


OF  THE 


SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION, 


IN  RELATION  TO 


Swamp  Lands, 


AND  ALSO 


REPORT  OF  AGENT  AND  ENGINEER. 


RALEIGH: 

P.  M.  Hale,  State  Printer  and  Binder. 
1887. 


REPORT 


OF  THE 

SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION, 

IN  RELATION  TO 

SWAMP  LANDS,  AND  ALSO  REPORT  OF 
AGENT  AND  ENGINEER. 


To  the  State  Board  of  Education : 

Gentlemen  : — At  a  meeting  of  your  Board,  held  on  tbs  7tli 
day  of  September,  1886,  the  following  resolution  was  passed: 

u  Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  be  requested  to  report  to  the 
Board  of  Education  a  full  history  of  the  swamp  land  transac¬ 
tions  from  the  beginning,  including  money  spent  on  them  and 
received  from  them,  and  the  probabilities  of  realizing  from  them 
by  prosecuting  the  work  of  reclamation  by  drainage.” 

In  compliance  with  the  resolution  I  beg  leave  to  report  as  fol¬ 
lows: 

1.  An  act  of  Assembly  in  1822  prohibited  the  entry  of 
swamp  lands. 

2.  An  act  of  Assembly  in  1825  constituted  the  Literary 
Board. 

3.  Surveys  and  improvements  of  these  lands  were  under  the 
control  of  the  Board  of  Internal  Improvements  until  1833. 

4.  No  money  was  spent  on  these  lands  except  a  small  amount 
for  surveys  prior  to  1837,  at  which  date  by  act  of  Assembly  the 
Literary  Board  was  invested  with  authority  to  survey  and  reclaim 
them,  the  sum  of  ($200,000)  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  out  of 
the  school  fund  being  appropriated  for  that  purpose. 

5.  All  the  surveys  made  then  and  prior  to  the  late  war  had 
reference  more  to  the  general  location  and  their  drainage  than  to 
the  establishment  of  their  boundary  lines;  and  until  quite 
recently  no  definite  boundary  lines  have  been  established — the 
boundaries  relied  on  being  the  indefinite  edges  of  the  swamps. 


t 


4  REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

\ 

6.  The  work  of  reclamation  has  been  confined  to  Hyde  and 
Carteret  counties  except  the  roads  recently  made  in  Jones,  Ons¬ 
low  and  Pender  counties. 

7.  As  an  experiment  before  extensive  operations  were  begun, 
a  canal  was  cut  in  Hyde  county  which  lowered  the  water  in  Mat- 
tamuskeet  Lake  (34)  three  and  one-half  feet  and  cost  eight  thous¬ 
and  dollars. 

8.  For  a  period  of  four  or  five  years  after  the  passage  of  the 
Act  of  1837,  the  Board  was  actively  engaged  in  work  in  Hyde 


county,  the  results  of  which  were  as  follows  : 

A  canal  from  Rut  man’s  Creek  to  Alligator  Lake 
£>ToF  miles  long,  32  feet  wide  at  bottom,  and 

average  7  feet  deep,  at  a  cost  of .  $  OSjIOO.SO1 

A  canal  from  Pungo  River  to  Pungo  Lake,  6^^ 
miles  long,  22  feet  wide  at  bottom,  and  average 

6  feet  deep,  at  a  cost  of. .  35,316.55 

Tributaries  to  Alligator  Canal,  at  a  cost  of .  24,584.95 

Tributaries  to  Pungo  Canal,  at  a  cost  of .  23,576.00 

The  aggregate  length  of  these  tributaries  is  204 
miles,  the  width  8  feet,  and  depth  4  feet. 

Surveys,  &c.,  &c., .  29,688.77 

Total  for  this  work .  $176,965.86 


9.  This  work  was  intended  to  drain  about  65,000  acres  of  the 
best  public  lands. 

10.  In  1841,  these  lands  were  offered  for  sale,  but  for  some 
reason  very  few  persons  attended  the  sale,  and  no  bids  were  made. 

11.  In  1849,  they  were  again  offered,  by  sections,  at  public 
sale,  and  small  amounts  were  bid  off  at  124  cents  to  $5.00  per 
acre,  the  timbered  lands  only  being  sought  after. 

12.  The  total  amount  received  for  Hyde  county  lands  up  to 
1849  (including  the&e  sales  in  that  year)  was  $5,876.99. 

13.  In  1852,  $5,000.00  was  appropriated  for  the  drainage  of 
the  Open  Ground  Prairie,  in  Carteret  county,  and  a  canal  was  cut 
from  Ward’s  Creek  to  the  highest  point  in  the  open  ground,  and 
transverse  ditches  were  also  cut  to  drain  a  square  mile. 


5 


REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

14.  Notwithstanding  efforts  were  made  to  sell  the  lands  in 
Carteret,  no  sale  was  effected  until  1859,  when  2,000  acres  were 
sold  for  twenty-five  cents  per  acre. 

15.  In  1855,  a  road  was  constructed,  or  rather  repaired,  from 
the  vicinity  of  Pungo  lands,  in  Hyde  county,  towards  Plymouth, 
a.t  a  cost  of  about  $10,000. 

16.  These  works  in  Hyde  and  Carteret  counties,  including 
salaries  of  surveyors  aud  agents,  aggregate  a  total  cost  of  $200,- 
357.22,  as  I  find  from  the  State  Treasurer’s  books,  the  principal 
items  of  which  are  given  above.  This  was  the  total  cost  of  the 
Board’s  efforts  to  reclaim  swamp  lands  from  the  beginning  up  to 
1860. 

17.  The  total  sales  up  to  1860  were  as  follows: 


Sales  up  to  and  including  1849 . $  5,876.99 

“  in  1851  and  1852 .  1,223.67 

“  “  1853  “  1854 .  T, 886.08 

“  “  1855  “  1856 .  3,773,72 

“  “  1857  “  1858 .  3,251,00 

“  “  1859  “  1860 .  1,321.50 


Total  sales  to  1860 . $17,332.96 


I  find  on  hand  now  some  promissory  notes  given  in  payment 
■of  some  sales,  included  in  the  above  amount.  These  notes  are 
now  worthless,  I  think.  Some  small  sales  may  have  escaped  my 
notice,  but  for  the  purpose  of  your  inquiry,  the  amount  is,  I 
trust,  sufficiently  accurate. 

18.  In  1866  the  Board  again  engaged  in  surveying  the 
swamps,  and  for  this  purpose,  and  for  agents  up  to  1870,  spent 
$7,657.70. 

19.  In  1867  Lake  Ellis,  in  Craven  county,  was  sold  to  W. 
F.  Lewis  for  $8,000.  The  note  given  in  payment  is  still  on 
hand,  and  the  deed  has  never  been  made.  In  1868,  Little  Lake 
was  also  sold  to  Mr.  Lewis  for  $250. 

20.  In  1870  the  Board  sold  the  whole  of  their  lands  in  Hyde, 
Washington,  Tyrrell  and  Dare  counties  to  Messrs.  Bible  and 
Carrow,  for  the  sum  of  $50,000  on  deferred  payments.  The 


6  KEPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

purchasers  paid  on  the  purchase  money  $14,363,  and  failing  to 
make  further  payments,  the  Board,  August  3,  1883,  ordered  suit 
to  close  out  the  purchasers’  equities.  This  suit  was  termin¬ 
ated  in  1885,  at  a  total  cost  of  about  $2,000.  The  Board  bid  in, 
and  now  owns  the  lands. 

21.  Iu  1883,  the  Board,  nothing  having  been  done  since  1870, 
again  began  the  accurate  survey  of  the  swamps,  with  the  inten¬ 
tion  of  fixing  the  boundaries  so  that  they  cotdcl  be  more  intelli¬ 
gently  offered  for  sale,  should  it  be  deemed  best  to  sell,  and  the 
better  to  prevent  trespassing.  For  this  purpose  $11,763.86  has 
been  expended  up  to  date,  1st  of  December,  1886. 

2.2.  In  1884,  Big  Swamp,  in  Robeson  county,  was  sold  at  27% 
cents  per  acre,  for  $3,030.50. 

23.  The  total  expenditure  on  swamp  lands  to  this  date,  as  I 
find  from  the  State  Treasurer's  books,  the  principal  items 
of  which  are  named  above,  is  $226,587.50,  and  the  total  amount 
received  is  $32,975.96. 

24.  In  addition  to  this  expenditure,  there  have  been  some  ex¬ 
penses  on  roads  by  the  Penitentiary  Board,  the  amount  of  which 
I  am  unable  to  state,  but  approximately  I  can  state  that  the 
road  recently  constructed  in  Angola  Bay  cost  about  $1,000  per 
mile,  which  I  think  is  a  very  near  approximation  to  the  aver¬ 
age  cost  of  such  roads  when  constructed  with  convict  labor. 
Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  balance  sheet  is  against  the  swamp 
lands  to  the  amount  of  $193,611.54,  almost  the  whole  amount 
appropriated  in  1837.  While  these  figuijps  may  not  be  entirely 
accurate,  some  small  sales  possibly  escaping  my  notice  in  the 
search,  they  are  sufficiently  so  to  give  a  clear  insight  into  swamp 
land  transactions  to  date. 

In  answer  to  the  last  inquiry  in  your  resolution,  “the  proba¬ 
bilities  of  realizing  by  prosecuting  the  work  of  reclamation  by 
drainage,”  I  shall  have  to  depend  largely  upon  the  opinion  of 
engineers  and  others  who  have  carefully  examined  the  lands. 
The  reports  show  that  almost  all  of  the  swamp  lands  owned  by 
the  Board  are  so  elevated  above  tide-water,  not  far  away,  as  to 
make  their  drainage  possible.  If  this  is  so,  why  did  the  efforts 


REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  7 


of  the  Board  prove  unsuccessful  iu  Hyde  and  Carteret  counties, 
where  the  lands  seemed  to  promise  most  and  where  so  much  work 
was  done?  After  personal  inspection  of  the  lands  there  and  the 
character  of  the  work  done,  I  answer  as  follows: 

1st.  The  lands  were  not  actually  drained,  but  only  a  basis  laid 
for  possible  drainage  by  smaller  ditches.  Indeed,  while  the  fall 
from  Alligator  and  Pungo  lakes  to  tide-water  is  sufficient  to  make 
fair  drainage,  almost  all  of  this  fall  is  at  or  near  the  rim  of  the 
swamp  and  near  to  tide-water,  the  rim  being  higher  than  the 
main  body  of  the  swamp  in  this  locality,  as  indeed  in  most,  if 
not  all  others.  The  swamps  are  almost  level,  so  that  unless  the 
fall  is  carried  up  regularly  through  the  rim,  beyond  that  point 
the  fall  will  not  be  sufficient  to  cause  an  easy  flow  of  the  water. 
To  do  this  would  require  that  the  canals  be  much  deeper  at  this 
point  than  at  any  point  beyond.  Just  here  is  the  point  of  fail¬ 
ure  in  the  drainage  in  Hyde  county,  and  just  here  heavy  and 
expensive  work  is  indicated.  The  work  in  Hyde  lowered  the 
water,  but  not  sufficiently  to  give  fall  for  the  necessary  transverse 
ditches. 

2d.  Under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  these  swamps 
will  require  a  heavy  expenditure  of  money,  even  after  the  main 
canals  are  made  of  the  proper  depth  and  width;  and  as  lands 
have  been  and  are  now  comparatively  cheap  in  this  State,  there 
has  been  and  is  now  no  special  inducement  to  purchase  these 
lands  except  for  timber  and  cattle-raising. 

If  therefore  anything  of  consequence  is  to  be  expected  from  these 
lands  in  Hyde  or  elsewhere,  it  can  only  be  after  large  sums  of  money 
are  expended  iu  draining  them — much  larger  than  is  usually  sup¬ 
posed.  As  to  title,  it  seems  to  me  that  there  is  no  trouble,  as  the  Sec¬ 
retary  of  State’s  office  shows  that  hundreds  of  thousands  of  acres  of 
these  swamp  lands  were  bought  in  for  taxes,  in  accordance  with  the 
statutes.  If  it  were  a  question  of  hiring  labor  to  do  the  work, 
I  would  unhesitatingly  say  that  the  Board  would  stand  a  most 
excellent  chance  of  losing  money  by  attempting  drainage.  So 
too,  if  the  work  is  to  be  done  by  convict  labor  and  the  cost,  which 
is,  even  under  favorable  circumstances,  about  40  cents  per  day 


8  REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

for  each  convict,  is  to  be  charged  against  the  lands,  I  would  say 
for  the  most  part,  let  it  alone.  But  if  the  cost  of  the  convict 
labor  is  to  be  considered  as  a  legitimate  expense  of  government 
and  not  charged  against  the  work,  it  should  go  on  cautiously  and 
at  the  most  favorable  points.  At  all  events  it  seems  to  me  that  a 
force  of  convicts  should  be  employed  in  constructing  roads  through 
.some  of  the  swamps  at  the  expense  of  the  State.  As  the  law 
now  stands,  reclamation  is  made  the  first  object  of  the  Board. 
As  to  any  general  and  extensive  work  to  reclaim  the  swamps  for 
cultivation,  if  to  be  considered  merely  in  the  light  of  a  financial 
transaction,  without  the  use  of  convict  labor,  or  with  the  cost  of 
convict  labor  charged  against  the  work,  I  think  it  of  doubtful 
propriety.  Perhaps  in  the  progress  of  our  surveys,  which  I 
think  should  be  continued,  some  lands  may  come  in  view  on 
which  it  would  be  wise  to  use  convict  labor,  with  the  primary 
idea  of  bringing  them  directly  in  cultivation,  but  their  fertil¬ 
ity  and  reasonable  possibility  of  drainage  should  be  first  well 
determined. 

For  valuable  help  in  my  investigations  of  this  subject  I  am 
indebted  to  Hon.  D.  W.  Bain,  State  Treasurer.  I  herewith 
hand  you  the  report  of  the  Board’s  Engineer,  Gen.  W.  G.  Lewis, 
covering  operations  of  surveys  and  work  during  the  last  two 
years,  and  some  items  of  information  relative  to  the  Board’s  oper¬ 
ations  in  former  years,  which  will  serve  to  throw  further  light 
upon  the  history  of  our  swamp  laud  transactions. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

S.  M.  FINGER, 

Secretary  of  State  Board  of  Education. 


Goldsboro,  N.  C.,  December  1,  188(5. 

To  the  Honorable  Slate  Board  of  Education,  Raleigh,  A.  C. : 

Gentlemen: — I  have  the  honor  to  submit  to  you  the  follow¬ 
ing  report  of  the  work  I  have  done  since  my  appointment  bv 
you  as  Agent  and  Engineer,  under  Act  of  the  Legislature  of  1885. 


REPORT  OP  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  9 


When  appointed  to  a  similar  position  by  your  predecessors  in 
office,  April  15th,  1884,  I  received  the  following  instructions  as 
to  the  work,  which  instructions  were  continued  in  force  by  reso¬ 
lution  of  your  Board,  of  date  March  19th,  1885: 

“  1st.  You  will  survey  White  Oak,  Holly  Shelter  and  Angola 
Bay  Swamps,  as  claimed  by  the  Board,  surveying  each  tract  as  a 
^vhole,  and  report  to  the  Board  a  plat,  giving  courses  and  dis¬ 
tances  and  number  of  acres. 

“2c],  If,  in  surveying  the  same,  you  shall  find  that  any  por¬ 
tion  of  said  lands,  as  claimed  by  this  Board,  is  also  claimed  by 
individuals,  you  are  to  ascertain  the  number  of  acres  so  claimed, 
by  an  actual  survey  of  the  same,  and  will  locate  such  claims  on 
the  plat  of  each  swamp  respectively,  so  as  to  show  their  exact 
location  and  area  on  the  general  plat,  and  your  report  shall  show 
the  whole  number  of  acres,  including  such  claims,  and  the  num¬ 
ber  after  deducting  such  claims. 

“3d.  In  all  cases  where  adverse  claims  of  corporations  or  of 
individuals  are  brought  to  your  notice,  you  will  secure  the  title 
deeds  or  certified  copies  of  the  same,  and  all  information  bearing 
on  the  matter,  accessible  to  you,  and  return  the  same  with  your 
report  to  this  Board,  so  that  the  validity  of  such  titles  may  be 
examined. 

“4th.  In  your  survey  you  will  also  take  levels,  so  as  to  show  the 
practicability  of  draining  the  said  lauds,  and  report,  in  detail, 
definite  information  in  respect  thereto. 

“5th.  You  will  also  classify  the  lands  in  said  swamps  in  such 
manner  as  you  may  deem  best,  in  order  that  your  report  may 
show  the  character  and  quality  of  the  different  sections  of  the 
lands,  and  of  the  growth  thereon. 

“  6th.  That  the  engineer  employed  to  survey  the  swamp  lands 
under  the  instructions  contained  in  the  report  made  by  the  com¬ 
mittee  to  this  meeting,  and  unanimously  adopted,  be  instructed 
to  collect  information  as  to  the  lands  in  Columbus  and  other 
counties,  their  location,  &c.,  and  to  incorporate  the  same  in  the 
report  to  be  made  to  this  Board.” 


10  REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

It  was  also  ordered  by  your  Board,  at  meeting  held  March 
19th,  1885,  “That  the  convicts  employed  in  the  swamps  shall 
be  worked  in  such  localities  aud  on  such  work  as  the  committee 
shall  direct,  the  engineer  to  direct  the  details  of  the  work ;  aud  it 
was  also  ordered  that  the  committee  inspect  the  work  whenever 
they  deem  it  expedient  to  do  so,  and  report  on  any  and  all  subjects 
deemed  by  them  to  relate  to  the  interests  of  the  Board  in  these 
lands.” 

I  have  reported  all  the  work  done  up  to  December  26th,  1884. 
See  last  biennial  report  of  Hon.  J.  C.  Scarborough,  then  State 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

Since  that  date  I  respectfully  report  as  follows: 

ANGOLA  BAY. 

In  1885,  ran  and  located  all  the  boundary  lines,  aud  located 
all  the  claims  of  which  we  could  get  information  by  pateuts  or 
deeds.  Ran  out  and  staked  off  the  James-Croom  Road,  also  the 
proposed  road  from  two  miles  east  of  Croom’s  Bridge,  on  James- 
Croom  Road,  to  the  Wilmington  and  Duplin  Road,  near  Hussey’s 
Store,  called  the  Chinquepin  Road.  Ran  levels  and  staked  out 
canal  up  Gum  Swamp,  from  John  Batts’  to  the  head  of  the 
swamp.  Completed  surveys  of  all  the  roads  adjacent  to  the  bay. 
Total  number  of  acres  in  Angola  Bay,  44,738.  Of  this,  20,050 
have  reed  growth.  Gum  Swamp  has  4,688  acres,  which  is  all 
No.  1  land.  The  reed  land  is  No.  2 — 20,050.  The  remainder 
I  classify  as  No.  3  land — 20,000  acres,  and  is  mostly  open,  briery 
bay.  Total  number  of  acres  covered  by  patents  and  deeds,  8,858. 
A  large  number  of  these  patents  have  been  granted  since  the 
land  was  given  to  the  Board  of  Education  bv  the  State. 

A  map  showing  the  complete  topography  of  this  land  aud  all 
the  field  notes  of  the  survey,  and  the  levels  taken,  are  on  file  in 
the  office  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 

The  following  shows  analyses  of  soil  taken  from  two  points 
on  the  James-Croom  Road : 


REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  11 


The  North  Carolina  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
Analysis  No.  3364.  Raleigh,  July  28,  1885. 

Sir  : — The  sample  of  soil  sent  to  the  Station  for  analysis,  in  a - ,  marked 

No.  1,  Croorn  Swamp,  Angola  Bay,  taken  from  south  ditch  of  James-Croom 
Road,  about  1-  mile  east  of  Groom’s  Bridge,  about  18  inches  below  the  surface 
md  just  below  the  roots  and  vegetable  matter  indicated,  contains  : 

Fine  earth,  .......  87.30  percent- 


Coarse  residue,  ......  12.70  “  “ 

Composed  of  sand  and  organic  matter  with  two  apparently  water  worn  peb- 


bles,  a  chemical  analysis  showed  the  fine  earth  to  contain  : 
;Hygrometric  water,  ...... 

5.607 

per  cent. 

Volatile  and  organic  matter, 

11.252 

ll 

a 

Sand, 

81.507 

ll 

it 

Phosphoric  acid, 

.144 

ll 

u 

Potash, 

.068 

ll 

ll 

Lime, 

.070 

1C 

a 

Oxide  of  iron  and  alumina, 

1.431 

ll 

ll 

Magnesia, 

.063 

u 

ll 

Soda, 

.  . 

.071 

ll 

ll 

Sulphuric  acid, 

. 

.000 

it 

ll 

100.213 

u 

ll 

[l.  s.]  Your  obedient  servant, 


(Signed)  CHAS.  W.  DABNEY,  Jr.,  Director 


The  North  Carolina  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
Analysis  No.  3413.  Raleigh,  February  4,  1886. 

Sir: — The  sample  of  soil  sent  to  the  Station  for  analysis,  marked  No.  2, 
Angola  Bay,  taken  from  north  ditch  of  James-Croom  road,  560  yards  east  of 
one  mile  post  from  Groom’s  Bridge,  2  feet  below  surface  and  just  below  roots 
md  vegetable  matter,  contains: 

Fine  earth,  ......  95.27  per  cent. 

^Coarse  residue,  ......  4.73  “  “ 

A  chemical  analysis  of  the  fine  earth  showed  it  to  be  composed  of : 


Hvgrometric  water, 

15.16 

per  cent. 

Volatile  and  organic  matter, 

18.84 

ll  It 

Sand  and  insoluble  matter, 

63.37 

ll  ll 

Phosphoric  acid,  .... 

.08 

ll  It 

Oxide  of  iron  and  alumina, 

1.795 

ll  ll 

Lime,  ..... 

.47 

ll  It 

Magnesia,  .... 

.077 

ll  ll 

Sulphuric  acid,  .... 

It  It 

I  *Composed  almost  entirely  of  rich  black  organic  matter — principally  roots. 


12  REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 


Potash,  .......  .07  per  cent, 

Soda, . .101  “  “ 

99.963  “  “ 

[l.  s.]  Your  obedient  servant, 

(Signed)  CHAS.  VV.  DABNEY,  Jr.,  Director. 

Estimates  of  work  done  by  convicts  in  Angola  Bay  in  th 


construction  of  the  James-Croom  Road,  from  Groom’s  Bridg 
to  the  Wilmington  and  Duplin  Road  : 

Total  length  of  road .  8.88  miles 

“  “  of  canals  and  ditches .  17.76  “ 

“  number  of  cub.  yds.  of  earth  moved .  96092.3 

“  “  of  acres  of  land  cleared  on  road.  41.7 

Number  days  convicts  were  on  work .  20,795 

“  “  “  lost .  4,479 

“  “  “  worked .  16,316 

Average  number  of  convicts  on  work .  56.97 

Cost  of  each  convict  per  day .  42.88  cents. 

Total  cost  of  convicts . $8,917.19 

Number  of  cub.  yds.  moved  each  day,  one  con¬ 
vict .  4.62 

Number  of  cub.  yds.  moved  each  day,  one  con¬ 
vict,  actually  at  work .  5.88 

Cost  per  cubic  yard .  9.28  cents. 


A  very  large  proportion  of  this  work  was  done  in  watei 
The  canals  and  ditches  were  much  obstructed  by  stumps,  log 
and  roots.  The  road  is  an  excellent  one,  with  the  exception  c 
about  1 1  miles  not  properly  completed,  and  a  few  wash-outs  ii 
Gum  Swamp,  caused  by  the  highest  freshet  ever  known  in  tha 
section.  The  road  is  regularly  travelled  over  with  heavy  loads 
and  has  so  far  shown  no  indications  of  any  serious  wear,  but  i 
would  be  much  better  to  fully  complete  the  road,  which  ca 
be  done  in  a  short  time  and  at  small  expense,  while  the  convict 
are  again  in  Angola  Bay,  to  complete  the  Chinquepin  Road 
Their  quarters  are  there,  and  in  good  order.  These  roads  are  no 
only  of  great  value  to  the  Board’s  lands,  but  they  are  of  vas 
benefit  to  a  thickly  settled,  hard-working-people.  These  swamps 


REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  13 


Without  these  roads,  are  as  impassable,  or  more  so,  than  our  most 
igged  mountainous  country.  The  building  of  these  roads  is 
)o  expensive  for  individual  or  local  enterprise,  but  the  State 
^funded  for  cost  of  their  construction  by  the  increased  value 
f  its  lands  and  additional  taxation,  which  always  follows  the 
irift  engendered  by  public  improvements. 

My  estimate  of  the  cost  of  the  Chinquepin  Road,  from  basis 
f  cost  of  the  James-Croom  Road,  $4,553.94.  About  mile 
f  this  road  was  partially  built  before  the  convict  force  left  Angola 
Jay  to  grade  the  Clinton  and  Warsaw  Railroad.  This  force 
ame  from  the  Quaker  Bridge  Road,  Jones  and  Onslow  counties, 
nd  commenced  work  on  the  James-Croom  Road  about  January 
st,  1885,  and  left  Angola  Bay,  for  the  C.  &  W.  Railroad,  early 
i  December,  1885.  They  have  not  worked  in  Angola  Bay 
ince  that  time. 

OPEN  LANDS,  CARTERET  COUNTY. 

It  is  estimated  that  the  area  of  the  “Open  Grounds”  of  Car- 
3ret  covers  about  87,000  acres.  Of  this,  10,537  acres  have  been 
urveyed  as  directed  by  you,  as  follows,  viz. : 

“  Resolved,  That  the  Agent  and  Eugineer,  Gen.  Lewis,  be 
irected  to  proceed  to  Carteret  county  and  survey  a  portion  of 
he  ‘Open  Ground  Prairie/  not  to  be  less  in  amount  than  eight 
or  more  than  twelve  thousand  acres,  which  may  be  included  in 
,  contract  with  B.  L.  Perry  and  others,  for  the  drainage  thereof, 
le  will  make  accurate  plot  of  the  said  lauds,  with  plans  for  the 
ize,  number  and  character  of  the  canals  and  ditches  necessary 
or  the  thorough  drainage.” 

Under  these  instructions  the  survey  was  commenced  May  3d, 
i  885,  and  completed  July  30th,  1885. 

On  the  basis  of  this  survey  a  contract  was  made  by  the  Board 
with  B.  L.  Perry,  of  the  county  of  New  Hanover,  and  J.  C. 
Davis  and  J.  H.  Davis,  of  the  county  of  Carteret,  to  thoroughly 
drain  all  the  lands  covered  by  the  survey,  in  consideration  of  the 
Board  making  title  to  one-half  of  the  land  so  drained,  under 
;  pecifications  and  directions  of  your  Agent  and  Engineer.  This 


14  .REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

contract  was  made  July  7th,  1885,  and  the  work  was  to  begin  on 
or  before  October  1st,  1885,  and  to  be  fully  completed  and  ended 
on  or  before  October  1st,  1890. 

Under  this  contract  Mr.  Perry  and  his  associates  did  a  small 
amount  of  work  on  the  ditches  of  the  Turnpike  before  the  1st  of 
October,  1885.  Since  then  they  have  set  out,  or  planted  twenty- 
five  thousand  “sets”  of  cranberry  plants.  This  is  the  extent  of 
their  work  as  far  as  I  am  informed. 

This  land  was  fully  surveyed  and  the  levels  run  in  all  direc¬ 
tions  'hat  would  indicate  the  thorough  drainage  of  the  land. 
The  canals  were  laid  out  and  fully  staked,  and  the  ditches  located 
on  the  maps,  so  that  the  contracting  parties  to  do  the  drainage 
should  have  no  ground  for  complaints,  but  could  readily  prose¬ 
cute  the  work.  This  tract  of  land  is  located  between  the  head 
of  North  River,  South  River,  Ward’s  Creek  and  State  canals 
and  the  State  Turnpike. 

SIMMONS’  BAY,  COLUMBUS  COUNTY. 

The  survey  of  Simmons’  Bay  was  commenced  October  15th, 
1885,  and  was  completed  December  20th,  1885.  Total  area, 
9,276  acres. 

Of  this  area,  8,276  acres  are  covered  with  a  good  growth  of 
cypress,  gum,  oak,  juniper,  Ac.,  and  the  soil  is  No.  1  swamp 
land,  capable  of  producing  ten  to  fifteen  barrels  of  corn  per  acre, 
and  well  adapted  to  rice  and  cotton. 

One  thousand  acres  of  this  swamp  is  covered  with  briary 
growth,  usually  called  Savannah,  and  briary  land,  and  is  not  of 
much  value.  There  are  1,170  acres  of  grants  of  different  dates. 

There  is  a  growth  of  juniper  timber  about  J  of  a  mile  wide 
and  7  miles  long,  lying  on  the  west  and  south  sides  of  the 
swamp.  This  is  very  valuable,  as  it  is  now  used  very  extensively 
in  manufacturing. 

The  levels  taken  show  ample  fall  to  thoroughly  drain  the 
swamp,  with  not  very  heavy  cost. 

Simmons’  Bay  is  located  about  18  miles  from  Whiteville  depot, 
on  the  Wilmington,  Columbia  and  Augusta  Railroad  It  is 


REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  15 


skirted  by  the  Wacgamaw  River  on  the  east  and  north,  which 
river  is  navigable  for  large  flat  boats  to  Old  Dock,  which  is 
oeated  above  the  swamp.  High,  long  straw,  piney  lands 
dmost  surround  it.  County  roads  skirt  it  on  all  sides. 

This  swamp  has  been  plundered  to  some  extent.  I  have  made 
R.  A.  Hannawacker  pay  for  cypress  shingles  gotten  on  the 
Board’s  lands,  and  a  suit  is  now  pending  against  several  other 
oarties  for  trespass  on  same  lands. 

I  regard  this  a  valuable  swamp,  both  for  timber  and  agricul¬ 
tural  purposes. 

Copies  of  all  the  field  notes  of  this  survey  and  a  map  of  the 
swamp  are  on  file  in  the  office  of  State  Superintendent  Public 
[nstruction. 

SEVEN  CREEKS  BAY,  COLUMBUS  COUNTY. 

This  swamp  is  about  an  average  distance  of  four  miles  from 
Minmons’  Bay  and  lies  to  the  south  and  west  of  it. 

The  survey  of  this  swamp  was  commenced  May  3d,  1886, 
ind  abandoned  July  1st,  1886. 

|  The  survey  was  made  on  representation  of  citizens  living  on 
Seven  Creeks,  who  very  much  overvalued  the  Board’s  interest 
loth  as  to  timber  and  lands.  I  ascertained  from  actual  surveys, 
:hat  most  of  the  Seven  Creeks  Bay  is  covered  with  patents  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  Board’s  interest  wras  not  sufficient  to 

Iustify  the  expenditure  of  money  in  making  a  complete  survey ; 
consequently  I  stopped  the  survey  and  proceeded  to  more  im¬ 
portant  work. 

I  would  respectfully  recommend  that  all  lands  of  the  Board 
lying  in  Seven  Creeks  either  be  offered  for  sale  or  made  subject  to 
entry.  The  Board’s  lands  there  are  in  detached  bodies  and  pretty 
well  surrounded  by  grants  already  issued  by  the  State.  This 
renders  the  sale  of  the  swamp  in  a  body  impracticable. 

I  WHITE  AND  BROWN  MARSHES,  COLUMBUS  COUNTY. 

In  July,  1886,  I  made  a  full  and  complete  reconnoisance  of 
chese  swamps,  and  found  the  laud  covered  with  patents  of  vari- 


I 


16  REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 


ous  dates,  except  about  600  acres.  Concluded  not  to  make  a 
survey  at  present,  but  ran  a  line  of  levels  from  Old  Dock,  on  the 
Waccamaw  River,  connecting  with  the  level  surveys  of  Simmons’ 
Bay,  up  White  aud  Brown  Marshes  to  the  Carolina  Central  Rail¬ 
road,  with  the  following  results  : 

Elevation  of  surface  water  (J  a  freshet)  of  Wacca¬ 
maw  River  at  Old  Dock . =91 .37  feet. 

Elevation  of  surface  water  at  culvert  of  Wilming¬ 
ton,  Columbia  and  Augusta  Railroad . =  112.63  “ 

Elevation  of  surface  water  on  County  Road  one 

mile  east  of  Whiteville,  in  White  Marsh . ....=114.36  “. 

Elevation  of  surface  water  at  the  Marsh' Gould,  at 
Hanes  High’s  held,  about  34  miles  above  County 

Road  crossing  . =116.26  “ 

Elevation  of  surface  water  at  the  Gould,  west  of  J. 

X.  Shipman’s,  about  6f  miles  above  Whiteville, =123.91  u 
Elevation  of  surface  water  at  Red  Hill  crossing, 

Brown  Marsh . =125.12  “ 

Elevation  of  surface  water  at  Brown  Marsh,  at 

crossing  of  the  Carolina  Central  Railroad . =127.68  “ 

This  shows  the  surface  water  in  Brown  Marsh,  at  C.  C.  R.  R., 
to  be  36.31  feet  above  surface  water  of  Waccamaw  River,  at  Old 
Dock. 

LAKES  IN  CRAVEN  COUNTY. 

Iu  the  winter  of  1886,  I  made  personal  examination  of  the 
lakes  in  Craven  county  belonging  to  the  Board,  also  caused  to  be 
ruu  a  line  of  levels  from  tide-water  to  Slocumb’s  Creek,  just 


below  Masters’  mill-dam,  to  the  lakes. 

Elevation  of  tide-water . =100.00  feet. 

Elevation  of  surface  water  in  canal,  in  front  of  W. 

Elom’s,  near  the  mouth  of  Bear  Branch . =118.19  “ 

Elevation  of  surface  water  of  Ellis  Lake . =132.43  “ 

“  “  “  “  “  Great  Lake . =137.10  “  . 

“  “  “  “  “  Little  “  . =136.70  “  j 


REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  17 


Ellis  Lake  has  been  drained,  which  accounts  for  its  elevation 
being  lower  than  the  elevation  of  the  other  lakes.  It  will  be 
noticed  that  the  elevation  of  these  lakes  is  abont  the  same.  The 
small  difference  is  probably  caused  by  wind-tides. 

Ellis  Lake  is  about  3  miles  long  by  2J  wide. 

Great  Lake  is  about  3  miles  long  by  2  miles  wide. 

Long  Lake  is  about  24  miles  long  by  1J  miles  wide. 

Little  Lake  is  about  1  mile  long  by  1  mile  wide. 

Catfish  Lake  lies  to  the  northwest  of  Long  Lake,  about  4 
miles  distant,  and  has  abont  the  same  dimensions  as  Lake  Ellis. 
A  portion  of  Lake  Ellis  has  been  planted  in  cranberry  sets, 
which  grew  well  and  bore  abundant  fruit,  until  purposely  killed 
by  overflow.  This  lake  was  once  in  the  possession  of  W.  F. 
Lewis,  Esq.,  of  Edgecombe,  but  is  now  the  property  of  the 
.Board.  When  he  held  it  he  planted  the  cranberry  sets,  but  since 
his  possession,  they  have  been  overflowed  and  killed.  Little 
Lake  was  purchased  from  the  Board  of  Education  by  W.  F. 
Lewis,  and  is  now  his  property. 

All  these  lakes  abound  in  a  great  variety  of  fish,  and  in  win¬ 
ter  are  favorite  resorts  of  wild  fowl  of  all  descriptions.  These 
lakes  lie  very  near  each  other  and  the  forests  surrounding  them 
are  full  of  bear  and  deer  and  other  wild  animals,  and  if  made 
conveniently  accessible,  would  furnish  rare  sport  to  the  large 
number  of  sportsmen  who  annually  visit  our  State.  A  small 
convict  force  could,  in  a  short  time  with  little  expense,  make  the 
lakes  and  surrounding  country  readily  accessible  to  Croatau,  a 
station  on  the  Atlantic  and  North  Carolina  Railroad.  This  work, 
in  connection  with  the  proposed  construction  of  the  new  city  on 
the  Neuse  river  just  below  New  Berne,  would  add  very  materi- 
a  y  to  the  passenger  and  freight  receipts  of  the  A.  &  N.  C.  R. 
R.,  in  which  the  State  holds  a  very  large  interest.  Besides,  this 
would  bring  these  lakes  and  the  adjacent  lands  which  may  be 
the  property  of  the  Board,  into  market  at  a  good  price.  As 
they  are  now,  they  are  worthless.  A  large  proportion  of  the  vis¬ 
itors  to  our  State  for  sport  and  to  avoid  the  rigorous  winter  cli¬ 
mate  of  the  North  are  men  of  wealth.  While  here  they  are 
2 


18  REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 


often  attracted  bv  the  fertile  soil  and  equitable  climate,  and  the 
kind  disposition  of  our  people,  and  consequently  often  make 
investments,  which  are  followed  by  a  residence  among  us.  We 
must  not  fall  behind  the  industrial  progress  of  our  sister  States, 
and  to  avoid  it  we  must  exert  ourselves  to  improve  our  State 
lands  for  market  and  to  disseminate  knowledge  of  the  vast 
unworked  resources  of  North  Carolina. 

SURVEYS  AND  WORK  IN  HYDE  AND  WASHINGTON  COUNTIES. 

I  commenced  surveys  of  the  extensive  swamp  lauds  of  the 
Board  in  Hyde  county  August  5th,  188G,  and  I  think  it  will 
require  another  year  to  complete  them. 

Surveyed  Alligator  and  Puugo  canals. 

Alligator  Canal  is  5.86  miles  long,  from  Butman’s  Creek  to 
Alligator  Lake.  Using  tide-water  in  Butman’s  Creek  as  100.00 
ft.  above  datum  plane,  the  elevation  of  surface  water  in  the  canal 
at  Lake=108.61;  elevation  of  surface  of  Lake  water=111.68. 

Pungo  Canal  is  6.34  miles  long,  from  Pungo  Biver  to  Puugo 
Lake.  Using  surface  water  in  Pungo  Biver  at  the  mouth  of 
Pungo  Canal  as  basis=l  00.00  ft.;  the  elevation  of  surface  water 
Pungo  Lake=l  12.17  ft.;  elevation  of  bottom  of  canal  at 
Lake=  109.02  ft.  Heavy  freshet  at  time  levels  were  taken. 

We  surveyed  the  county  road  bordering  the  State  lauds,  from 
Fairfield,  Ilvde  county,  to  the  head  of  Pungo  Biver,  and  thence 
the  old  Plymouth  and  Pungo  Turnpike  to  Boanoke  Biver,  at 
Plymouth. 

I  had  a  survey  made  of  a  line  from  head  of  Bose  Bay  to  near 
head  of  Alligator  Biver. 

Course  of  this  line  is  North  44°  East.  Its  length  is  104 
miles.  The  following  are  the  elevations :  Stations=100  ft. ;  sur¬ 
face  water  at  head  of  Bose  Bay,  at  medium  tide,  used  as  basis = 
100  ft.;  elevation  of  surface  water  at  head  of  Broad  Creek, 
99.72,  at  medium  tide  water. 

Elevation,  Station 

(<  U 

((  U 


52=105.84 

105=106.67 

158=107.31 


REPORT  OP  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  19 


Elevation,  Station 


66 

u 

u 

u 

u 

66 

u 

66 

u 

66 

a 

66 

211=108.64 

264=110.07 

316=109.26 

369=109.00 

422=107.70 

475=105.02 

528=103.20 


Elevation  surface  water  Alligator  River,  at  mouth  of  Blount’s 
Canal=102.66 ;  bottom=98.86. 

Elevation  of  surface  water  of  Mattamuskeet  Lake=102.61. 


SOUNDINGS. 


Station  0,  head  of  Rose  Bav=9  feet  of  mud  to  blue  sand. 

/  J 


Station 

10=3  feet  black 

soil  to  bl 

ue  sand. 

66 

20=24 

u 

66 

66 

66 

32=3 

66 

66 

66 

66 

40=31 

66 

66 

66 

66 

50=5 

66 

66 

.  “ 

66 

80=5 

66 

66 

66 

66 

90=4 

66 

66 

66 

66 

140=5 

66 

66 

66 

66 

150=41 

66 

66 

66 

66 

163=5 

66 

66 

66 

66 

210=5 

66 

66 

66 

66 

300=6 

66 

66 

66 

66 

317=6 

66 

66 

66 

66 

375=7 

66 

66 

66 

66 

385=64 

66 

66 

66 

66 

390=6 

66 

66 

66 

66 

409=7 

66 

66 

66 

66 

421=7 

66 

66 

66 

66 

445=7 

66 

66 

66 

66 

475=7 

66 

66 

66 

66 

481=7 

66 

66 

66 

66 

491=7 

66 

66 

66 

66 

r- 

GO 

CN 

*0 

66 

66 

66 

20  REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 


GROWTH. 

First,  600  feet=is  marsh. 

Second,  500  feet=medium  gum  swamp. 

Third,  45  stations=bay  and  small  pine. 

Fourth,  31  stations=high  reeds,  bay  and  pine. 

Fifth,  16  stations=low  reeds,  bay  and  pine. 

Sixth,  59  stations=bay  and  small  pine. 

Seventh,  22  stations=medium  gum  swamp. 

Eighth,  18  stations=reeds  and  pine. 

Ninth,  255  stations=open  grounds. 

Tenth,  27  stations=Bull  bay. 

Eleventh,  76  statious=Bull  Bay,  briars,  reeds,  &c.,  to  Al¬ 
ligator  River.  Stations=100  feet  each. 

This  survey  was  made  with  a  view  to  increase  the  accessibil¬ 
ity  of  your  lands,  and  as  a  sequence,  their  value,  by  the  con¬ 
struction  of  a  ship  canal  across  from  the  head  of  Rose  Bay,  or  of 
Broad  Creek,  to  the  head  of  Alligator  River.  This  canal  built, 
the  vessels  now  plying  between  New  Berne  and  Norfolk,  or 
Edeuton,  or  Elizabeth  City,  or  from  Washington,  N.  C.,  to 
same  points,  would  have  70  miles  less  distance  to  traverse  than  they 
now  have.  Thev  would  also  have  absolutely  inland  navigation, 
free  from  exposure  to  storms,  which  are  at  times  very  severe  and 
dangerous  in  Pamlico  Sound,  which  is  protected  from  the  ocean 
only  by  low  ridges  of  sand  hills.  I  also  had  in  view  the  inter¬ 
est  of  the  people  in  that  isolated  section.  The  construction  of 
this  canal  will  almost  complete  the  inland  navigation  of  the 
North  Carolina  coast. 

Convict  labor  can  do  all  the  work  necessary  except  the  dredg¬ 
ing.  This  is  proposed  to  be  done  bv  appropriations  from  the 
United  States  government.  This  can  be  justly  requested  on  the 
grounds  of  inter-state  commerce,  and  the  greater  protection  of 
our  seaboard  in  case  of  war  with  foreign  powers. 

This  survey  was  made  from  head  of  Rose  Bay,  but  the  line 
from  head  of  Broad  Creek  would  show  the  same  elevations, 
soundings,  growth,  &c.,  and  is  only  one-eighth  of  a  mile  longer. 
There  are  many  reasons  why  the  canal  should  be  built  from 


REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  21 


head  of  Broad  Creek.  It  is  better  protected  from  the  influence 
of  tides,  and  has  less  mud  and  sand  to  contend  against.  The 
country  is  well  settled  along  Broad  Creek,  whereas  Rose  Bay 
has  a  wide  expanse  of  mud  flats  uninhabited,  and  the  entrance 
of  the  canal  to  Rose  Bay  would  be  continually  subject  to  filling 
up  by  action  of  the  tides.  However,  this  matter  needs  a  more 
thorough  survey  for  proper  settlement. 

ALLIGATOR  CANAL,  HYDE  COUNTY. 

The  General  Assembly  of  1885  passed  an  act  requiring  the 
State  Board  of  Education  to  clean  out  Alligator  Canal,  from  its 
mouth,  at  Rutman’s  Creek,  to  its  head,  at  Alligator  Lake.  The 
act  required  not  less  than  50  convicts  to  be  used  on  that  work. 

In  compliance  with  this  act  I  was  directed  by  you  to  do  this 
work  as  required  by  said  act.  Under  your  directions  I  com¬ 
menced  the  work  on  May  18th,  1886,  and  completed  it  October 
13th,  1886.  I  found  this  canal  almost  filled  up,  and  obstructed 
by  logs,  trees  and  drifted  soil.  Islands  had  been  formed  in  it 
almost  its  entire  length,  and  there  was  very  little  waterway  for 
the  discharge  of  the  waters  of  the  lake.  The  banks  on  either 
side  were  grown  up  with  large  forest  trees,  tangled  vines,  Ac. 
The  canal,  to  about  one  mile  of  its  head,  had  been  cut  out  only 
eighteen  feet  wide  and  about  eighteen  inches  deep,  and  was  full  of 
stumps,  logs,  roots,  Ac.  The  original  fall  contemplated  had 
been  carried  only  about  half  way  up  the  canal. 

I  had  all  the  trees,  bushes,  vines,  Ac.,  cut  off  clear  70  feet  on 
either  side,  measuring  from  the  banks.  I  had  the  canal  thor¬ 
oughly  cleaned  out  by  removing  all  obstructions  of  whatever 
kind,  and  carried  the  original  fall  of  4J  feet  into  the  lake,  by 
which  the  water  in  the  lake  will,  in  my  opinion,  be  reduced  three' 
feet.  It  had  fallen  15  inches  five  weeks  after  the  canal  was 
finished.  The  area  of  the  lake  is  great,  consequently  the  reduc¬ 
tion  of  the  depth  of  the  water  by  a  30  feet  canal  must  be  slow. 

Capt.  C.  J.  Rhem,  supervisor  of  the  convict  force,  did  his 
work  well,  and  made  as  good  progress  as  could  be  expected  under 
the  circumstances.  A  large  portion  of  the  time  there  was  an 


22  REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

extraordinary  fall  of  water,  more  than  had  ever  been  known  by 
the  oldest  inhabitant. 

The  reduction  of  the  water  in  this  lake  will  relieve  about 
thirty  farmers  settled  immediately  on  the  lake  and  a  large  and 
thrifty  population  at  and  near  Fairfield,  who  have  been  seriously 
injured  in  their  farming  operations  for  many  years,  by  the  over¬ 
flow  from  this  lake.  All  the  people  in  that  section  express  entire 
satisfaction  at  the  manner  in  which  the  work  was  done,  and 
believe  the  object  has  been  fully  accomplished. 

There  were  10,135  days  expended  by  the  convict  force,  at  a 
total  cost  of  $6,162.10.  This  includes  all  expenses  of  transpor¬ 
tation,  clothes,  rations,  tools,  guard,  &c. 

The  lands  of  the  Board  in  that  section  have  been  made  a  great 
deal  more  valuable  by  this  work,  and  continual  propositions  to 
purchase  are  made  since  this  work  was  completed.  The  lands 
on  either  side  of  Alligator  canal  are  well  adapted  to  stock  rais¬ 
ing,  and  their  capacity  seems  unlimited  for  that  purpose.  The 
soil  is  also  very  good  for  agricultural  purposes. 

PLYMOUTH  AND  PUNGO  TURNPIKE,  WASHINGTON  COUNTY. 

This  road  was  built  by  the  State.  The  first  work  was  done 
on  it  in  1831.  Again  it  was  worked  on  in  1840,  and  again  in 
1855.  The  road-bed  was  made  only  14  feet  wide  and  turnouts 
were  made  at  every  change  of  direction,  and  posts  put  up  to  be 
climbed  for  purpose  of  observing  whether  any  vehicle  was  meet¬ 
ing  you.  The  road  was  badly  constructed  and  never  properly 
completed,  and  was  soon  abandoned.  I  am  now  building  a 
road,  using  the  old  one  as  a  basis,  24  feet  wide  from  ditch  to 
ditch,  and  raising  it  about  18  inches  above  the  natural  level  of 
the  swamp.  The  general  course  is  N.  38°  W.  Length,  8.27 
miles,  from  Pungo  River  to  the  Long  Acre  Road,  at  a  point  5 
miles  from  Plymouth.  With  the  exception  of  about  1J  miles, 
this  road  passes  through  one  of  the  very  richest  and  most  val¬ 
uable  bodies  of  swamp  land  in  this  State.  It  is  well  timbered, 
rich  soil,  and  an  excellent  range  for  cattle. 


BEPOBT  OF  SECEETAEY  OF  BOA  ED  OF  EDUCATION.  23 


The  difference  in  elevation  between  surface  water  in  Pungo 
River  at  end  of  the  Turnpike,  and  the  end  of  same  at  Long 
Acre  Road=16.97  feet.  The  rise  for  first  4  miles  from  Pungo 
River=9.43  feet.  This  road  shortens  the  distance  between  two 
thickly  settled  communities  by  more  than  half  and  gives  the 
people  a  much  better  line  of  communication  both  for  travel  and 
shipping  the  products  of  the  country. 

It  makes  a  much  needed  outlet  for  a  considerable  portion  of 
Beaufort  county  and  the  whole  of  Hyde  county,  opening  up  Ply¬ 
mouth  as  a  more  convenient  shipping  point  than  they  have  here¬ 
tofore  had.  Steamers  from  Plymouth  connect  daily,  each  way, 
at  Eaenton,  with  the  Norfolk  Southern  Railroad,  and  tri-weekly 
with  Seaboard  and  Roanoke  Railroad  up  the  Blackwater  river. 
Other  steamers  ply  direct  between  Plymouth  and  Norfolk  and 
Baltimore  regularly. 

This  road,  opening  up  this  section  of  country,  will  add  very 
much  to  the  value  of  your  vast  tract  of  swamp  land  in  Hyde 
county,  as  well  as  some  in  Washington  county. 

Cattle-raising,  to  be  profitable,  must  be  aided  by  a  convenient 
market.  As  it  now  is,  beef  cattle  from  that  section  cannot  be 
put  on  the  Northern  markets  until  after  being  driven  60  to  80 
miles.  This  road  will  afford  an  outlet  by  which  the  drive  will 
be  only  from  13  to  40  miles. 

STATEMENT  OF  WOEK  DONE  BY  THE  STATE  ON  SWAMP  LANDS. 

At  the  request  of  your  honorable  Board,  I  have  collected  the 
following  information  as  to  all  the  work  ever  done  by  the  State 
on  the  swamp  lands  of  Eastern  North  Carolina,  which  I  most 
respectfully  submit : 

Alligator  Canal,  Hyde  county — length,  5.86  miles;  width,  32 
feet  at  bottom;  average  depth,  7  feet;  fall,  10  feet.  This  canal 
was  almost  entirely  tilled  up,  and  has  been  cleaned  out  this  year, 
at  a  cost  of  $6,162.10. 

Pungo  Canal,  Hyde  county — length,  6.34  miles;  width,  22 
feet  at  bottom;  average  depth,  6  feet;  fall,  12J  feet.  This  canal 
has  been  kept  open  by  lumbermen  rafting  timber  down  it. 


24  '  REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 


The  tributaries  to  these  cauals  aggregate  204  miles  iu  length ; 
width,  8  feet;  depth,  4  feet. 

Pungo  State  Road — length  2J  miles  from  head  of  Puugo 
Canal  around  the  border  to  west  end  of  Pungo  Lake. 

These  cauals,  tributaries  and  road  were  constructed  about  1840. 

Canal  and  tributaries — Open  Lauds,  Carteret  county — Ward’s 
Canal — leugth,  3  miles;  width,  6  feet;  depth  4  feet.  Lower 
tributary — leugth,  1  mile;  width,  4  feet;  depth,  4  feet. 

Quaker  Bridge  Road,  Onslow  and  Jones  couuties — leugth, 
20  miles;  average  width,  about  20  feet;  ditches  on  both  sides. 
Width,  average,  6  feet ;  depth,  4  feet. 

Richland  Branch  of  Quaker  Bridge  Road,  Onslow  county — 
length,  3  miles;  width,  18  feet  ;  ditches  on  both  sides.  Width, 
3  feet ;  depth,  2  feet. 

Wier  Lauding,  branch  of  Quaker  Bridge  Road,  Onslow 
county — length,  5  miles;  width,  16  feet;  ditches  ou  both  sides. 
Width,  4  feet;  depth,  3  feet. 

Core  Creek  and  Trenton  Turnpike,  Jones  county — length, 
8J  miles;  ditches  on  both  sides.  Width,  4  feet;  depth,  3  feet. 

James-Croom  Road,  through  Angola  Bay,  Pender  county — 
length,  8.9  miles ;  road-bed,  22  feet  wide ;  ditches  ou  both 
sides.  Number  of  cubic  yards  moved  from  ditches  and  put  iu 
road-bed,  96,092.3. 

The  work  on  the  Quaker  Bridge  Road  and  its  branches,  and 
the  Core  Creek  and  Trenton  Turnpike  was  mostly  done  iu  1883 
and  1884,  bv  convict  labor. 

The  work  on  James-Croom  Road  was  done  during  1885,  by 
convicts. 

LANDS  OF  THE  BOARD  NOT  SURVEYED. 

Carteret  county,  open  lands,  87,000  acres,  approximated. 

Craven  “  15,000  “  “ 

Bladen  and  Sampson  couuties,  12,000  “  “ 

Dare  county,  80,000  “  “ 

Jones  “  15,000  “  “ 


U  U 


Total, 


209,000 


REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  25 


LANDS  OF  THE  BOARD  PARTIALLY  SURVEYED. 


Pender  and  Onslow  counties 


(Holly  Shelter), 

110,000 

acres,  approximated 

Hyde  and  Washington  “ 

300,000 

U 

a 

Total, 

Onslow  and  Jones  counties 

410,000 

(6 

u 

(White  Oak), 

84,000 

a 

u 

This  swamp  has  been  surveyed,  but  not  as  per  such  instruc¬ 
tions  as  I  am  now  surveying  the  swamps. 

It  requires  very  much  time  to  get  in  the  patents  and  deeds, 
and  in  finding  a  corner  to  connect  our  lines  with.  The  claim¬ 
ants  very  often  know  nothing  of  the  corners  of  their  lands;  and 
it  frequently  happens  that  some  old  inhabitant,  living  some  dis¬ 
tance  away,  has  to  be  sent  for  to  indicate  the  corner  desired. 
Frequently  these  claimants  are  from  home  when  we  call,  and 
consequently,  several  visits  are  necessary  before  we  can  accom¬ 
plish  our  purpose.  Although  much  time  is  required  to  survey 
these  lands  as  instructed  by  you,  it  is  the  only  intelligent  way  it 
can  be  done.  I  think  it  will  be  of  vast  advantage  to  the  lands  of 
the  Board  to  have  them  surveyed,  as  per  your  directions.  All 
should  be  surveyed,  and  maps  made,  that  they  may  be  in  shape 
for  sale.  When  that  is  done  you  can  decide  with  more  intelli¬ 
gence  when  to  sell,  and  you  will  find  purchasers  more  readily. 
Land  buyers  always  want  maps  and  surveys  before  purchasing. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

The  question  of  thorough  drainage  of  your  swamp  lands  for 
reclamation  for  agricultural  purposes  involves  the  question  of 
the  expenditure  of  a  large  amount  of  money,  and  the  further 
question,  whether  such  expenditure  would  result  in  a  sufficient 
additional  market  value  of  these  lands  as  to  reimburse  the  Board 
for  such  expenditure. 

Your  swamp  lands  cover  a  vast  area  located  in  many  counties 
of  the  East,  and  in  tracts  considerable  distances  apart.  On  them 


26  REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 


is  a  great  diversity  of  timber  and  soil.  The  levels  so  far  taken 
show  that  they  are  all  capable  of  drainage;  but  there  is  a  consid¬ 
erable  difference  as  to  the  cost  of  drainage  of  the  several  swamps. 
Some  can  be  drained  and  reclaimed  by  you  in  such  mauner  that 
would,  in  the  sale  of  the  lands,  reimburse  you.  Others  have  not 
this  advantage,  and  great  care  should  be  taken  in  deciding  which 
to  drain.  The  expenditure  of  drainage,  for  agricultural  pur¬ 
poses  only,  of  the  swamps  of  large  area,  I  would  not  recommend 
to  be  made  at  present.  There  are  many  of  these  swamps  whose 
value  can  be  materially  increased  by  the  construction  of  good 
l  oads  through  them  in  such  localities  as  would  render  them  acces¬ 
sible  to  parties  desiring  to  purchase.  These  roads  should  be  so 
located  as  to  afford  the  greatest  good  to  the  inhabitants  of  the 
section  of  country  in  which  they  are  built. 

The  main  trunk  lines  of  the  Western  North  Carolina  Rail¬ 
road  and  the  Cape  Fear  and  Yadkin  Valley  Railroad  and  the 
Spartanburg  and  Asheville  Railroad  are  now  almost  completed. 
These  railroads  will  be  of  almost  incalculable  value  to  the  peo¬ 
ple  of  the  sections  through  which  they  are  located,  and  of  great 
benefit  to  the  State  as  a  whole.  The  completion  of  these  rail¬ 
roads  will  return  to  the  Penitentiary  at  Raleigh  a  large  number 
of  convicts.  Five  hundred  or  more  of  these  convicts  can  be 
most  profitably  employed  on  canals,  roads  and  railroads  in  the 
eastern  section  in  such  a  manner  as  to  be  of  value  to  your  lauds, 
a  great  convenience  and  help  to  the  people  and  a  great  benefit  to 
the  State  at  large. 

The  health  reports  of  the  convicts  show  that  they  can  work  in 
the  eastern  swamps  all  the  year  without  detriment  to  their  health ; 
that  they  are  at  least  as  well  off  in  the  swamps  as  elsewhere. 

I  would  respectfully  recommend  that  some  action  be  taken  by 
your  honorable  Board  to  have  more  stringent  laws  enacted  by 
our  General  Assembly,  soon  to  convene,  as  to  obstructing  the 
canals  and  ditches  on  the  Board’s  lands,  especially  Alligator 
Canal,  which  has  recently  been  thoroughly  cleaned  out. 

Also  that  such  laws  as  will  prevent  the  further  depredations 
and  trespasses  on  your  lands  be  enacted. 


REPORT  OF  SECRETARY  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  27 


Hoping  this  report  will  be  satisfactory  to  your  honorable 
Board, 

I  am,  very  truly,  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  G.  LEWIS, 

Agent  and  Engineer. 


RESOLUTIONS  OF  THE  STATE  BOARD  OF  EDU- 
CATON,  ADOPTED  DECEMBER  17th,  1886: 

Resolved,  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  Board,  the  true  policy 
of  the  State  in  reference  to  the  swamp  lauds,  to  be  effected  by 
appropriate  legislation,  is 

1st.  To  forbid  the  sale  of  any  body  of  such  lands,  until  the 
same  shall  have  been  acuerately  surveyed. 

2d.  To  ascertain  and  mark  the  boundaries  of  said  lands,  so 
that  there  may  be  no  difficulty  in  ascertaining,  hereafter,  whether 
a  given  piece  of  land  be  subject  to  entry  or  not. 

■  3d.  To  suspend  efforts  to  drain  or  reclaim  these  lands,  except 
by  the  construction  of  such  roads  through  them,  by  the  aid  of 
convict  labor,  as  may  be  deemed  necessary  to  make  them  accessi¬ 
ble,  and  develop  their  resources. 

4th.  To  make  such  roads  with  convict  labor  only,  and  only 
when  the  counties  through  which  they  run  will  undertake  to 
make  them  public  roads,  and  keep  them  up  as  such. 

5th.  To  make  such  roads,  under  above  limitations,  with  liberal 
hand. 

The  above  is  a  true  copy. 

S.  M.  FINGER, 
Secretary  Board  of  Education. 

[L.  8.] 


Jas.  D.  McNeill,  President. 


Date  Due 

.ATO'W 

JUN  1  0  ’44 

m  7  f 

PftP2«^ 

Form  335 — 25M— 7-35 — B-M.Co. 

CALL  NUMBER 

Vol. 

) 

975.61 

v. 1-22 

_ 1 

N873 

Date  (for  periodical) 

_ 1 

- m*.  _ 

_ 1 

V.l 

5.ol  UB73  ?  13P-9-90  27015 


J 


